RED BLUFF — The Red Bluff Street Department almost finished restriping many of the roadways in the city, but an unforeseeable error force crews to halt the project.

Crews began work Aug. 8 and concentrated on restriping the crosswalks and stop-bars in the areas of South Jackson Street from Kimball Road to Walnut Street; Walnut Street from David Avenue to Madison Street; Oak Street around City Hall and the former courthouse; South Main Street from Elm Street to near Diamond Avenue and the crosswalks near Metteer School.

Work had to stop because of a mechanical failure of the striping machine, Streets Supervisor Mike Skelton said. The city’s mechanics are looking into what caused the breakdown and how to make the necessary repairs.

Still left to be completed are the center lines on Main Street and Luther Road from Main to Mill Street and several smaller projects around town, Skelton said.

Around the beginning of August, crews striped the crosswalks and center lines on South Jackson Street from Luther Road to Walnut Street; Luther Road from South Main Street to South Jackson; Paskenta Road from Luther Road to Walnut Street and along Aloha and Willow streets.

Parking stalls at the Park-and-Ride municipal parking lot on Rio, as well as on-street parking in that area, were restriped in July, Skelton said.

A group of Villa Columba Apartment residents came to the City Council Aug. 6 to ask for the city to improve the safety of the crosswalks at Elm Street and Sycamore Street. The restriping project was underway prior to their request.

Red Bluff conducts restriping of its existing roadway surfaces annually, using around $7,000 worth of materials, Skelton said. Funding comes from the annual street operations and maintenance account. No special funding is used for the restriping.

Striping occurs in the evenings if there is low traffic flow and good weather conditions in the area. Scheduling of the striping is dependent on staffing availability with coordination of other assigned tasks within the city, Skelton said.

Faded crosswalks near schools are typically targeted for restriping right before the start of school for optimum visibility.